Thailand English-language News for November 24

In Thailand English-language News for November 24, 2017, Newsline presenter Sandra Hanutsaha tells us about:

00:41 | Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department (RID), Dr Somkiat Prajamwong, has been transferred to the position of director of the Department of Water Resource Management (DWRM) to help boost the government’s water management plan. Dr Somkiat will work at the policy level with the government and report directly to the Prime Minister.

02:13 | Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan has declared March 31, 2018 ‘D-Day’ for Thailand to be free of illegal migrant workers. All agencies have been instructed to speed up their work to ensure the deadline is met.

As from April 1, 2018 migrant workers will be processed based on supply and demand in each employment sector. Private companies must request new or additional migrant workers based on government-to-government (G2G) or memorandums of understanding.

04:27 | The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has ratified amendments to a 1978 law on armed forces officers performing academic tasks at educational institutions under the supervision of the Ministry of Defense.

05:28 | The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has introduced a donation project to support the ‘Step by Step for 11 Hospitals’ charity marathon by rock star Toon Bodyslam.

NLA officials and Parliament House donated Bt400,000 (about US$12, 243) to kick the fund off, while the public can make donations through the government’s call center located at the Second Parliament Building until November 30.

06:37 | The Justice National Reform Committee (JNRC) has held a public forum on its justice reform plan, drafted according to the new Constitution to ensure justice and equality. The committee will gather feedback from public forums and incorporate them in the next version of the reform plan.

07:37 | The Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) and leading educational institutions have joined forces with the aim of producing 12,000 cyber security specialists by 2021 to meet the requirements of the Thailand 4.0 strategy.

11:09 | The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) has rolled out additional measures aimed at encouraging investment in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), as well as for SMEs who are registered in the Market for Alternative Investment (Mai) programme.

The measures include an additional two years corporate income tax exemption and a 50 per cent tax deduction for five years for entrepreneurs in special industries in the EEC effective from 1 January 1, 2018 to December 30, 2019.

SMEs in the Mai programme will receive a 100 per cent increase in their tax threshold from January 1, 2018 to December 30, 2020, while SMEs in ten border province SEZs will receive a corporate income tax exemption for eight years, and a 50 per cent discount on corporate tax for five years.

12:37 | Newsline speaks with Arrut Navaraj, secretary of Bliss Foundation, about the 4th annual Bliss Festival’ which will be held between December 15-17. Mr Navaraj said the festival is aimed at raising awareness of organic agriculture as part of Bliss’s Sampran Model.

Held in cooperation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), this year’s festival will feature more than 200 exhibition booths displaying organic products with the focus on sustainability and food safety.

16:14 | Newsline takes a look at Malaysia-Thailand cross-border trade through the Su-ngai Kolok-International Border Trading Center located in Narathiwat Province.

19:22 | Thailand has been ranked fourth globally on the International Country Effectiveness Index 2017, outperforming six other Asean countries with a score of 27.2 per cent.

According to Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak, president of the Wisdom Council Thailand, the kingdom performed most strongly in the economic section of the rankings with a growth of 61.6 per cent over last year, while in the education section it performed abysmally with a score of just 11.7 per cent

21:09 | King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB) and Lao PDR’s Vocational Education Development Institute (VEDI) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to exchange knowledge and experience in curriculum development, and research findings in education development, that will meet the demands of 4.0 industries.

• and more.

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Newsline is a daily Thailand English-language news and current affairs programme produced by the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNBT) under the Thailand Government Public Relations Department (PRD) for *NBT World, the NNBTs 24/7 English language television service delivering Thailand government news and information to the Thai, Asean, and wider Asian communities. AEC News Today publishes Thailand English-language News M-F.